Why Are We Still Afraid of the Dark?

   At twenty-three years old you’d think that I wouldn’t be afraid of the dark, and you’d be right- most of the time. But there are times when I turn off the hallway light and find my feet hurdling me toward the safety and light of my bedroom. It isn’t a constant occurrence, but it does happen from time to time, and from talking to some of my friends, it happens to them too.

   I remember when I was ten years old, I went to a friend’s birthday party, and the group of us stayed up late and watched “Nightmare On Elm Street” (Shh, don’t tell my parents). It didn’t seem to bother any of my friends, but it terrified me. For months, I was afraid of just about everything. When showering, I would constantly look around the shower curtain, making sure nothing was coming after me, but nighttime was the worst. For a long time, I had a terrible time getting to sleep. Every time the lights went out I imagined the horribly scarred face of Freddy Kruger coming after me.

   The experience didn’t really curb my enthusiasm for the rush of scary movies and I’m still a fan today. I can manage my fear a little better than I used to, but there are still times when I turn out the lights and imagine something from scary movies past and have to make a run for it. Am I alone in this strange phenomenon? I doubt it.

   When I get scared, it’s not really about anything that is real or that could actually happen to me, but about the creepies and crawlies in the movies I watch. I’m sure that if I didn’t watch them, I would always be okay with the dark. I’m curious about what my readers think about the dark. Do any of you suffer from a fear of darkness? If so, tell us about it, and maybe we can try to explain it. 

Where Does It Go?

   Everyone hates taxes. We all have to pay them, but I can’t think of anyone who likes to. But now that the president has been re-elected, I think it’s important to think about where our hard earned dollars are being spent.

   Depending on whom you voted for, there may be some frustration when contemplating where tax dollars are spent. On the other hand, if things this November went your way, then your tax dollars are doing what you asked for- kind of.

   I’d like to go over just a couple of the things that our taxes go towards (federally). There are many more than are included in my list.

-Health Care

-Defense

-Social Security

-Government Salaries

   There are far too many to list, and “Government Salaries” are much smaller than the three preceding it, but I’d like to talk about it a little. I believe that a lot of things that the government funds are worth while (Defense, education, etc.), but there are also a lot of things about the spending that I don’t like. For example, paying congressmen.

   In the United States, we pay our congressmen somewhere around $174,000 dollars per year! Now you might say, “But they have an important job,” and I would agree. But that’s a lot of money. If the average household income in the U.S. is about fifty thousand dollars per year, then a representative in congress is making well over three times that of an average family. There’s no way they’re working THAT hard.

   There are 435 congressmen in our system. Multiply that by their average annual salaries and you get $75,690,000. With such high salaries, no wonder we have so many career politicians. In my opinion (who cares right?), the position of U.S. congressman should be a burden. People should go in because they’ve got some good ideas and want to do things for their fellow Americans. Once they’ve done what they can, they move on and so something else with their lives.

   I don’t understand why our politicians make so much more money than, say, teachers. Are they really providing a service that does more good? I think not. I vote we cut congress’ salary down to $20,000 dollars so that they can’t wait for those two years to end and they can get a real job again. Maybe then people with good ideas would push to get things done. 

Calculated Madness: Walmart's Black Friday

   Last year, when the stores opened their doors at midnight for all of the best deals, I thought it was early. There are a number of stores that are opening their doors again at midnight and many hours later in the morning. Walmart will begin their Black Friday deals at 8:00 PM on Thanksgiving.

   To me, this idea is truly ridiculous. After Thanksgiving meal, everyone should be at home relaxing, fat and happy. Walmart has surely spared no expense in preparing for the event in order to supply its customers with all of the gadgets they desire. With all of those great gadgets, in one place, for such a great price… who would go anywhere else? And if that is the case, what kind of lines are we going to see and when will the lines form? Will people skip the Thanksgiving meal altogether?

   I remember seeing in the news last year that some people got sprayed with mace by a person trying to get a great deal. With a store that attracts so many customers making things get started earlier (causing the hardcore shoppers to stress about getting dinner finished early to get the deals), they are just feeding the frenzy. To me, this is a problem.

   So I’m prepared to present my foolproof solution. Why don’t we all just have Thanksgiving dinner at Walmart!? There’s no reason to stress about getting dinner over with and getting on into line at the supercenter. The store could put on a banquet for all of its loyal patrons, for the low price of (insert not so low number)! “On the menu this fine Thanksgiving evening is turkey loaf, powdered mash potatoes with gravy, and green beans.” Included at everyone’s table would of course be a microwave to prepare and ensure absolute freshness.

   With a meal provided by our favorite local store, no one needs to rush, or even trouble himself or herself with the silly task of preparing a stressful meal. Everyone will be in a good mood and hopefully no one will get an eye full of assault repellent spray.

From the authors of Freakonomics

Even though I posted on it a while ago, it seems like there is a lot of interest in hand washing. If you'd like to read an interesting article about it by "Freakonomics" folks here is the link.

Selling Soap

Divorce

   I’ll be getting married in June of 2013, and I’m not taking on the challenge lightly. The pastor at church last weekend said that marriage is about 80% as good as it was when you were dating. It makes sense if you think about it. When you’re dating, you and your significant other are trying to impress one another. After your “I do’s” are said, you’ve got the cat in the bag. Not only do you stop trying to impress one another but you now live together. Living with someone brings on a number of challenges in and of itself. We’re bound to get irritated with those we live with, so why would a spouse be any exception? I know that I’m very naïve in the realm of marriage and there are a million things left that I haven’t even considered, but I’m doing the best I can.

   I’ve thought about all of these things and I know that I still want to go through with it. When considering marriage, one should also think about divorce. I tell myself that it will never happen to me, and I truly believe it. I hope to honor my vows until the day I die. But when I hear about so many marriages ending I have to wonder why they didn’t make it through to the end. Were their convictions not strong enough at the beginning? Did they not work hard enough during? Or did things just not work and there was nothing that could be done?

   According to the National Vital Statistics Report, 6.8 people for every 1,000 got married in the U.S. in 2009. During that same year, 3.4 of every 1,000 were divorced. That doesn’t mean that of the people that got married that year half of them were divorced. But the rate tells us that for every two couples that tied the knot in 2009, there was a couple that got divorced. As an engaged individual, that is an alarming number. So what are some reasons people break off marriages?

   A study done by psychologists Paul R. Amato and Denise Previti found that the leading cause of divorce is infidelity. They also found several other factors that led couples to split up: incompatibility, growing apart, personality clashes, and lack of communication. In my opinion, most of these issues can and should be sorted out during the dating period before the decision to get married is made.

   All in all, I don’t look down on people that get divorced. It is far from my place to judge. I just think it is an important thing to consider before committing to another person. My marriage will start off well, and I feel that with hard work, determination, and a commitment to communication it will stay incredible. I hope for and look forward to the day that I can celebrate my sixtieth wedding anniversary. If I can make it to eighty-three, that is.

Negative Political Ads

I was watching T.V. the other day and during a commercial break I saw four political ads in a row- four! And at least three of them were negative. What’s up with that?

   Everyone I speak to about political ads say they hate all of the negativity. I wonder why a candidate can’t just bring up their own qualifications and leave out the attacks. But even though we all hate the negative ads and political ads in general, they’re still showing them, so they must be doing something, right?

   Well, they do a little. An article from Discover News says that while negative ads do not affect voter turnout or change the minds of decided voters, they do encourage people to look more deeply into the issues and do some research themselves. The article reports that most people claim that the negative ads have no affect on them. But, studies have shown that certain key words can stick with us and possibly affect our opinions involving the candidates attacked in the ads.

   So it seems like there may be something to negative ads. In the upcoming presidential election, the margins are tight between the incumbent and his challenger. According to Gallup, today (10/24) there is only a one percent difference (47% to 48%) between the two candidates amongst registered voters. That means that if the studies mentioned in the article I mentioned are correct, negative ads could have an affect on the election- likely on the undecided voters.

   If it is also true that negative ads encourage potential voters to look more deeply at the issues, then are they so bad? Isn’t it best if we are all take the time to educate ourselves about the candidates and the issues? We all hate negative ads, but if their affect is beneficial toward the education of voters, (as indirect as it may be) then I’m all for them. So next time you see a negative political ad, go ahead and gripe about it, but remember that it may be inspiring another voter to educate him/herself.

Money

   I like having money (but don’t have much). It’s nice to be able to buy things with money that I have earned. But I think it’s weird how we rarely see the money that we make these days. So what’s up with money?

  

 The idea of money is pretty simple. You give someone currency that you have, they take it and give you what you want in exchange for it. It’s also fairly easy to understand the relative value of the money we have. We know that a dollar can’t buy anything. Twelve bucks can get you a decent meal. And anywhere from forty to seventy dollars fills up your car with gas. But, what I wonder is, what does that money mean?

  The cash money in your hand used to be worth a set amount of precious metal (i.e. gold). This is called the Gold Standard. That basically means that if you have cash in your hand, it can be traded in for a set amount of gold. But, it is no longer in use today. Our current system is called flat money. Flat money means that goods are allowed to fluctuate in price depending on what the market demands. So now, instead of our cash actually being worth something physical, we as a society have determined that it is has value based on the market in order to trade for goods and services. Basically, our money has value because the market determines that there is a demand for it.

  

 Leaving the gold standard and allowing money to be worth something simply because we say it does wasn’t enough. We now have electronic banking, credit cards, transfers, money wiring, etc. Every two weeks, I get paid for working. I have my money directly deposited into my bank account. I check online to make sure I got it all. Its there- “hooray!” Then I go out to eat and pay with my credit card.    Later in the month I get a statement from the credit card company, telling me that I owe them money. So I jump online and directly transfer funds from my bank account to the credit card company. During this entire process, I have not seen a shred of paper money. I have been paid for my services, postponed payment on goods for myself, and then paid my bills, all with seemingly imaginary money.

   I just think it’s weird that we buy things with something that we can’t see and to me, seems to have no apparent value. Of course, I’ll still use money, and I’m not necessarily against the way it is now. It’s just an interesting concept to think about.

Eating Habits

   What is the purpose of food? Why do we eat? It provides our bodies with sustenance, helps give energy to our muscles, and supplies our brains with the things we need to function properly. That’s what food is for. So what’s up with poor nutrition?

   Well, for most of us, food is more than just sustenance. It’s not a chemical equation, easily calculated to figure out what goes where in the body. It’s a memory in a flavor, a culture in a bite. We have holidays, traditions, and gatherings, all with food at their focus. As intelligent beings, we require more than just mere sustenance to make it through the day. Food isn’t just good for our bodies, its good for our hearts (so to speak).

   Although food is nearly as important to us emotionally as it is nutritionally, it is also important to remember that unhealthy food can lead to excess fat build-up. Too much of the things that make our taste buds smile can also play a role in problems such as, atherosclerosis (thickening of the artery walls) and hypertension (high blood pressure).

   To combat the risk of future heart disease, I’ve started trying to cut out sweets. It’s a difficult task that requires diligence and discipline. For me, motivation is the key when trying to accomplish something. After a difficult workout at the gym, I can say no to sweets by telling myself that the several moments of pleasure are not worth all of the work I just put in.

   The CDC reports that over one third of the population of the United States are classified as obese (obesity is defined as having a BMI of over 30). As a society, how did we get so heavy? The simplest explanation is that we have become more sedentary and do not eat the proper nutrients to accommodate for such. The CDC would agree, saying that “obesity result[s] from an energy imbalance. This involves eating too many calories and not getting enough physical activity.” This could be a result of our work force switching from labor-intensive occupations to less physically demanding ones.

   We need food to survive. And even though it can be delicious and it’s nice to enjoy, we need to remember that at its roots, food is nutrition and should be treated as such. The negative affects of a poor diet can have some serious consequences and can also be downright dangerous. I love food and I’m sure you do too. But let’s work on making our diets better.

Hand Washing

   Are you a hand washer? We all know we should wash our hands after using the bathroom. 95% of adults claim to practice restroom hygiene. But a university study showed that 90% of women do and only 72% of men wash their hands after leaving the bathroom (Edwards et al., 2002)*. Hand washing was one of the most significant medical discoveries of all time. So guys, what’s up with that?

   Ignaz Semmelweis, a Hungarian physician in the mid 1800’s, was disturbed by the number of deaths from infection that victimized many birthing mothers. His clinic’s doctor’s ward suffered three times the mortality rate of midwives. Semmelweis realized that doctors who had recently worked with dead bodies were also caring for expecting mothers. He established hand washing and reduced the clinic’s mortality rate to below 1%.

   On school days, I generally spend several hours on campus. Naturally, it is necessary for me to visit a public restroom. I’ve noticed one facility in particular that seems to be plagued by under washing. Although there is ample sink space to wash up, there is only one hand soap dispenser on the far side of the counter. This leads many patrons to leave the bathroom without lathering up, simply because it is inconvenient to reach around another user to get disinfectant.

  The other day, I had several hours to kill, so I decided to see if the problem persisted only in restrooms in which there was not enough soap. Each one was the same. I walked in. The smell of deodorizer barely masked the unmistakable stench of fecal matter. Even if the restroom had no dispenser issues, I usually observed at least one person not washing his hands. It didn’t seem to matter what type of movement it was- be it bowel or bladder. I found myself wanting to exclaim, “Dude, I know your mother taught you to wash your hands. You just got off the toilet and I have to touch the doorknob too.”

   It’s clear that as a society, we understand that we are supposed to wash our hands. Edwards and his crew show in their study that most people claim to wash their hands. They look into several other factors, such as race and whether or not an observer being present makes a difference. But the key factor is gender. And men are far behind.

   So seriously, what’s up with that?

*Edwards, Donald, Elizabeth Monk-Turner, Steve Poorman, Maria Rushing, Stephen Warren and Jarita Willie. 2002. "Predictors of Hand-Washing Behavior." Social Behavior and Personality 30(8):751-756